Happy African-American History Month! Happy Susan B. Anthony Day!

Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony by Maira Kalman in May It Please the Court

Happy African-American History Month!

Today we continue our exploration of the USCIS History and Government questions and African American History. Today we will talk about USCIS 100:77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?*.

We will first read about Q71 from the USCIS M638 quick civics lesson. Then we will learn about Susan B. Anthony's friend, Sojourner Truth, who worked with Susan B. Anthony against slavery and for equal treatment of women. Sojourner Truth was an escaped slave who sued her former master because he tried to sell Sojourner's son into slavery. Then we will listen to a short reading from Sojourner Truth's speech: “Ain't I a Woman?” Let's get started!

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from "Ain't I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth

That man over there
says that women needs to be helped into carriages,
and lifted over ditches,
and to have the best place everywhere.
Nobody ever helps me into carriages,
or ober mud-puddles,
or gives me any best place!
And ain‘t I a woman?
Look at me!
Look at my arm!
I have ploughed,
and planted, a
nd gathered into barns, a
nd no man could head me!
And ain’t I a woman?
I could work as much and eat as much as a man
—when I could get it—
and bear the lash as well!
And ain‘t I a woman?
I have borne thirteen chilern,
and seen them most all sold off to slavery,
and when I cried out with my mother’s grief,
none but Jesus heard me!
And ain’t I a woman?

...Where did your Christ come from?
From God and a woman!
Man had nothin’ to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made
was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone,
these women together ought to be able to turn it back,
and get it right side up again!
And now they is asking to do it,
the men better let them.

USCIS 100: 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

++ fought for women’s rights
++ fought for civil rights


Susan B. Anthony was born in Massachusetts on February 15, 1820. She is known for campaigning for the right of women to vote. She spoke out publicly against slavery and for equal treatment of women in the workplace.
In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony died 14 years before the adoption of the 19th Amendment, but it was still widely known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.

In 1979, she became the first woman whose image appeared on a circulating U.S. coin. The coin is called the Susan B. Anthony dollar and is worth one dollar. (source: USCIS M-638)

See also:

• America's Story: Susan B. Anthony
• EL Civics: Susan B. Anthony
• Rutgers: Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
• The Susan B. Anthony House
• Susan B. Anthony Amendment (Video)
• Wikipedia: Susan B. Anthony
• Wikipedia: The Susan B. Anthony Dollar
• Wikipedia: (International) Timeline of Women's Sufferage
• VOANews: Susan B. Anthony, 1820-1906: She Led the Fight to Gain Equal Rights for Women, Including the Right to Vote